Animal-feeding mechanism.



E. MARTIN.

ANIMAL FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28. 1.913.

1,175,788. 7 Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 1.

witweooeo THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 320., WASHINGTON, D. 1.

E. MARTIN.

ANIMAL FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1913- Patented Mar. '14, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses ms CDLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, n. c

A BEIGE,

ANIMAL-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed August 28, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELnoTUs MARTIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Huguenot, in the county of Orange and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal FeedingMechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to animal feeding mechanism and has for itsobject the provision of a receptacle for the feed and automatic meansfor releasing the feed held by the receptacle at a predetermined time.

In the most improved embodiment of the invention the feed is released byimproved electrical means, and I preferably employ a clock as a circuitcloser to energize the means for the release of the food held by thereceptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofspreader upon which the released feed is discharged so that when thedevice is used for feeding. chickens it will be spread and distributedso as to prevent over-crowding and congestion and will permit all of thechickens to obtain a portion of the feed.

A still further object is to provide an effective form of releasingelement which will hold the parts securely in the closed relation whenmoved to its locking position, and a still further object is to providea simple and effective form of make and break device so as to economizethe use of the current and prevent the circuit being closed during thetime that the clock is passing from a circuit closing to a circuitopening position.

Other features and objects of the inven tion will be more fullydescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in and bythe appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of an embodimentof my invention in which the feed receptacle is in the form of a trough.Fig. 2, is a view in elevation looking from the opposite side. Fig. 3,is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the circuitdiagrammatically shown.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout thedifferent figures of the drawings.

As illustrated, 1, designates a trough shaped body having inclined sides2 and 3,

which converge toward each other but which Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Mar. 14:, 191$.

Serial No. 787,171.

do not meet, thereby forming a feed discharge slot l. A feed releasingmeans in the form of a door 5, is shown hinged at 6, to a bracket 7, thelatter being fixed to the side 2, of the trough. A cover 8, is providedso that when the feed is disposed in the trough it will be protected,for an obvi- The trough is mounted at its ends upon uprights 9, and thelatter are preferably connected to a spreader 10, having oppositelydisposed deflecting or inclined spreading portions 11. If the feeder isdisposed upon a floor space it may be supported by the spreader.However, I provide suspension hooks 12, on the uprights 9, so that thedevice may be suspended above a floor space or above the ground surface.

The door 5, is provided with one member of a trip device which mayconsist of an elongated opening 13. The other member of said trip devicemay comprise a rod 14:, having a cranked or trip end 15, adapted uponrotation of the rod to move out of engagement with the upper wall of theopening 13, to release the door 5, or to be moved into engagementtherewith to lock the door 5, in the closed position shown. The rod H,is rotatably mounted in a bracket 16, which is secured to the side 3, ofthe trough 1, and which is provided with bearing arms 17, in which therod 14, is journaled. Cotter pins 18, may be provided for preventinglongitudinal movement of the rod 14, in its bearings. The upper end ofthe rod 14, is cranked and terminates in an armature 19, adapted to beattracted by a magnet 20.

Vhile the weight of the feed on the door 5, will normally act to openthe same when it is unlocked, I provide spring opening means for thedoor which will nrt only insure opening movement thereof, but which willopenthe same to a position such as will permit free discharge of thefeed upon the spreader without any possible interference from the door.As shown, an opening spring. 21, is secured at 22, to the side 2, of thetrough at one end of the spring, and the other end is connected with alink or wire 23, as indicated at 24. The link 23, is connected with thedoor 5. By reason of the action of this spring and the manner in whichthe same is connected with the door, with respect to the hinge 6, itwill readily be seen that the spring will swing the door to a full orwide open position, and this opening movement of the door performs anadditional function which will be presently dewhich is preferablylocated'on the feeding receptacle or trough and which consists of acontact 26, directly mounted on the trough and suitably insulatedtherefrom as shown. The other contact is indicated at 27, and ishingedly mounted preferably upon a piece of insulating material whichmay consist of a block of wood 28.- The hinged mounting 28, may beprovided with trunnions 29, having bearings in armsflO, of a bracket 31.A weight 32, normally acts to hold contacts 2'? and 26 in engagementwith each other and the weight is mounted upon a rod or throw out arm33, which is secured to the insulating mounting 28. The throw out arm33, is provided with a roller 34, w ich lies in the path of the door 5,so that when the latter swings into an open position it will engage theroller 34:, and rock the hinged mounting 28, to disengage the contact 27from contact 26.

Means are provided for closing the circuit to energize the magnet 20,and release the door 5, from a locked or closed position. As shown, saidmeans may consist of, a clock 35, with minute and hour hands 36 and 37,-respectively, which may in any suitable manner engage minute and hourcontacts 38 and 39. The minute and hour contacts may 7 be provided onthe face of the clock for each hour time division thereof and may besuitably connected with sockets into which plugs 40 and 41, may beinserted. The plug 41, is connected with one pole of a source of current42, by-means of a wire 43. The other pole is connected by a wire 44,with the contact 27. Contact 26, is connected by wire 45, with oneterminal of the magnet 20, and the other terminal thereof is connectedby wire 46 with plug 40.

It will be seen that contacts 26 and 27, will normally be engaged toclose the circuit but that the circuit will normally be opened exceptwhen the minute and" hour hands engage the respective minute and hourcontacts 38 and 39, in accordance with the position in which .the plugs41 have been inserted. Immediately upon closing of the circuit by theminute and hour hands, the magnet 20, will be energized to actuate thetrip device 13 and 15, and release the door 5, under the weight of thefeed and the action of spring 21. Outward swinging movement of the door5, will engage the roller 34:, and positively swing contact 27, out ofengagement with contact 26, thereby immediately opening the circuitafter initial closing of the circuit has performed its function, therebypreventingwaste .of electrical energy. I

While I have herein shown and described "opening relation.

one specific of inventionlli fdo not I wish to be limited thereto exceptfor suchlimitations as the claims may import. I claim:

1. In a feeding mechanism, a feed recep- 7- tacle'provided with an open"bottom, a door 7 'for closing said bottom, electricallyractufrom themake and breakmechanism into the path of movement ofthe door to beengaged thereby in the opening swingand tomove said make and breakdevice to the circuit '2. In an automatic feeding mechanism, areceptacle for the feed, a door for controlling discharge of-the feedfrom said receptacle, a circuit, trip means including a magnot connectedin said circuit for holding the $59?) door in a closed position, a makeand break device connected ln said circult to 'be Independent, of saiddoor and adapted to mechanically move to a closed relation-,fand aportion of the mechanism of'said'make and holding Said (1001' i a closedpositionj' lnd including a magnet connected insaid circuit, a make andbreak devlce'connected in 'said circuit mounted to be independent ofsaid I door and to be normally held in aclos ed relation, and a portionof" the mechanical structure of said device depending into the path ofmovement of said door in swinging to lts open POSltlOIl, and thuscausing actuation of said device to break the circuit upon s'wlngmg ofthe door to the open position;

4. In an automatic feeding mechanism, a feed receptacle having adischarge opening, 1 a door positioned to close said discharge opening,mechanical means to .be brought to a position to normally hold said doorin a closed relation, electrical means to bring said mechanical means toan inoperative relation and thus permit the door to open, a c'ir cuitfor said electrically-actuated means, a make and break device carried bysaid feed receptacle apart from thedoor and connected in said circuit,mechanical means in the form of a weighted arm dependingifrom said make"andbreak device and adapted "to normally hold the'parts thereofina'close relation, and all of said parts so arranged that uponenergization of said circuit through the operation of thetime-controlling apparatus the mechanical door-retaining means is madeinoperative permitting the door to swing to the open relation and theweighted arm of said make and break device is engaged to bring saiddevice to the circuit-opening relation.

5. In an automatic feeding mechanism, a trough-shaped receptacleprovided with an open bottom, a door for closing said open bottom, acircuit, a trip device on one side of said receptacle for holding saiddoor in a closed position and including a rotatable trip arm having anarmature, a magnet connected in said circuit to attract said armature torotate said arm, a make and break device on the other wall of saidreceptacle connected in said circuit, one member of said break devicebeing pivotally mounted on the receptacle, and a weighted throw out armnormally holding the pivoted member of said make and break device incircuit closing contact with its companion member and adapted foractuation by the door to throw said pivoted make and break member into acircuit opening position.

6. Ina feeding mechanism, a feed receptacle provided with an openbottom, a door for closing said bottom hinged at a point to normallyfall to an open position when released, a door holding means comprisinga revolubly mounted rod provided with a trip end at one of itsextremities to engage with the door and retain the same when in theclosed relation and the opposite end provided with a transverselyextending arm, an electric circuit having make and break means therein,an armature carried by said transversely extending arm, electro-magneticmeans connected in the circuit to be operated by current passingtherethrough to act upon said armature to swing said rod to a relationthat the trip arm is moved from its holding position and the door ispermitted to open, mechanical means to aid in the opening of said door,and a mechanical make and break connected in the circuit of saidelectro-magnetic means to normally maintain a closed connectiontherethrough and to be moved to a position to break the circuit uponengagement of the door therewith when swung to the open position.

'7. In a feeding mechanism, a feed receptacle provided with an openbottom, a door for closing said bottom hinged at a point to normallyfall to an open position when released, a door holding means comprisinga revolubly mounted rod provided with a trip end at one of itsextremities to engage with the door and retain the same when in theclosed relation and the opposite end pro vided with a transverselyextending arm, an electric circuit having make and break means therein,an armature carried by said transversely extending arm, electro-niagnetic means to act upon said armature to swing said rod to arelation that the trip arm is moved from its holding position and thedoor is permitted to open,a circuit for said electro-magnetic means, acircuit breaker arranged to be normally held in an operative relationconnected in one of the wires of said circuit and provided with a lineextending in proximity to the door, and said parts so arranged that uponopening of the door the arm is engaged and the parts of the circuitbreaker are moved to a relation to break the circuit.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELE GTUS MARTIN. Witnesses W. S. BEvANs, GEORGE E. MARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratents. Washington, D. G.

